Chapter XV: The Price of Admission

It had been a few weeks since Logan had taken Agnes and Cristina under his roof, and things were going well for the three of them. Despite both Logan and Agnes claiming that their relationship was strictly platonic, Cristina began to view Logan as her surrogate father-figure. Logan's siblings were trying hard to make something spark between them, and Logan had to kick Lucy out of his house twice for attempting to spy on them. How she managed to bypass both the locks and the security system was a mystery of its own.

Now Logan was driving Agnes and Cristina home after a particularly brutal school week. Thankfully, Lincoln and his tight-knit circle of friends were well-behaved during class, but that wasn't the case for the other students. Kids like Chandler and Poppa Wheelie (Logan seriously doubted that was his real name) were getting antsy to perform their Halloween practical jokes (Chandler was apparently the little brother of Logan's old bully Butch, which explained quite a bit). Needless to say, Agnes was absolutely exhausted, using the cool glass of the car window to soothe her headache and looking forward to relaxing over the weekend, at least until she forced herself to grade homework before it piled up too much.

Logan saw how worn-out she was and came up with a plan on the spot to help her feel better. His grandfather had invited him and Lynn Sr. to spend an hour or two at a bar before his curfew (some of the rules Albert said were being enforced by Nurse Sue made Logan cringe), so what was the harm of bringing one more person? Agnes looked like she could stand taking a few things off of her mind.

As Cristina sat at the dining room table to do her homework and Agnes sat on the couch and opened a paperback novel, Logan walked into another room and called his mother.

"Hi, Logan. How was your day?"

"My day was alright, Mom. I can't say the same for Agnes though. I'm gonna bring her along when Dad and I go to the bar with Pop-Pop, so can you guys do me a favor and keep an eye on Cristina while we're gone?"

"Sure, sweetie. Have her come right over when you and Agnes are ready to leave. Oh, and your dad already left to pick up Pop-Pop from the retirement home."

"Thanks, Mom. I owe you one!"

"Any time, Logan. I love you, sweetie."

"I love you too, Mom." Logan hung up and walked back to the living room, where Agnes was still reading. "Hey, Agnes, Dad and I are going to a bar. Wanna come? Mom said she's willing to watch Cristina for us." Agnes smiled and put down her book.

"That would be delightful, Logan. Cristina! Logan and I are going out, so get to a stopping point and go to the house next door!" she called to her daughter. Logan's house was on the corner of the block, so his only next-door neighbors were his own family.

"Okay! Have fun on your date!" the girl replied.

"It's not a date!" Logan and Agnes protested in unison, then both realized what they said and blushed.

"Let's just go," Logan suggested, to which Agnes agreed.

...

Logan and Agnes arrived at the bar after a short walk and went to a table in the corner, where Lynn Sr. and Albert were playing darts. A pretty Hispanic waitress wearing a black miniskirt and an immodestly tight white blouse that exposed her midriff and pierced navel came up and took their order. Logan ordered a pint of lager (a very dark variety of beer) and a platter of buffalo wings for the table to share, and Agnes ordered a mudslide. Agnes closed her eyes and savored the chocolatey drink as it flowed down her throat, taking her stress from the day with it. She didn't drink very often because of her budget, and when she did, she had to be careful because she couldn't tolerate it very well. About two beers was all she could handle before she started to go loopy, slurring her words and stumbling around.

Lynn Sr. and Albert stopped their game, Albert having won by a long shot, and the four adults talked and laughed while sipping their drinks and munching on wings. The three men made sure to include Agnes in the conversation so that she wouldn't feel left out. The conversation eventually turned to the subject of everyone's respective occupations. Like his family and Agnes, Albert promised to keep Logan's real job a secret; as far as the general public was concerned, he worked at an office job from the privacy of his home.

"So, Agnes, what made you decide to be a teacher? Is that something you've always seen yourself doing?" Albert asked. Agnes swallowed her bite of a wing and wiped the sauce from her lips with a napkin before replying.

"Actually, I wanted to be a lawyer when I was a teenager. It was Logan who inspired me to get a teaching degree instead."

"Really? How?" asked Logan.

"I've always admired you for the way you looked after your sisters. It just came so naturally to you. I was an only child, so I never had that experience. When I finally graduated high school, I thought, 'if Logan can handle a room full of children, then so can I.' College wasn't easy because I had to take care of Cristina at the same time, and finding a job after that was even harder, but now it's all worth it. At least, most of the time..." Agnes frowned at the memory from earlier in the day, when she'd sent no less than three boys to the principal's office all at once, one for putting a tack on her chair and the other two for shooting spitballs at her while her back was turned.

"Lincoln hasn't been causing trouble, has he?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Oh, no, Mr. Loud, Lincoln's an angel. He actually helps by keeping some of the other boys on a leash," Agnes replied. The conversation continued until Albert looked at his watch, then sighed and stood up.

"Well, I suppose I should head back before Sue has a fit about me missing curfew. I just need to hit the john first."

"Yeah, me too," Lynn Sr. admitted and went with Albert to the restroom, leaving Logan and Agnes alone.

"Now that we're alone, Agnes, there are a few things I wanted to ask you. The first thing is about Cristina's father," Logan said. "Where is he, and who is he?" Agnes' mood instantly soured, and Logan quickly apologized for bringing up bad memories.

"No, no, it's okay. It's just...I hope to high heaven that Cristina never meets him and I never see him ever again. I don't know his name, and I couldn't make out his face as he assaulted me. He's serving a life sentence in the state prison," Agnes explained.

"Oh. Well, what about your parents? Couldn't they help you while you were in those tight spots?"

"I haven't had contact with my parents for years. Because I'm pro-life and they're not, they were furious when I found out I was pregnant and decided to keep the baby. To avoid legal consequences, they waited until I was eighteen before they kicked us out." Agnes sniffed and wiped her eyes with a clean napkin. "I can't stay mad at them. If they could only see past Cristina's father and get to know her for who she really is, then I'd gladly let them back into my life. But I don't know if that's ever gonna happen." Agnes started to cry, and Logan instinctually pulled her into a hug, which she gladly accepted.

"If that's the way your parents see things, then they can screw off!" Logan told her. "You don't need them. You have me and the rest of your friends to give you support. I already told you that you and Cristina can stay with me for as long as you want, and I don't intend to change my mind anytime soon."

Unbeknownst to either of them, Lynn Sr. and Albert had been watching and listening through the entire exchange.

"That's my boy!" Lynn Sr. whispered to Albert with a proud smile. Albert returned the smile, and the two shook hands before walking away.

"Logan?" Agnes whispered after she calmed down.

"Yes Agnes?"

"I...I love you." That wasn't the alcohol talking. That was what she felt in her heart ever since that fateful night when Logan had found her and Cristina stranded in their broken-down car.

The admission surprised Logan, but he smiled and said, "I love you too. I always have." Their faces turned toward each other, and their noses brushed. They hesitated for a moment, then their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Woo-hoo! Agnes and Logan are finally an item! This actually happened a little faster than I intended. My original plans had a lot more details of the Loud Siblings' meddling, but I think this turned out a little better. What do you think? Any comments at all are greatly appreciated!